Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a respiratory physiology department and the patient's perception of rapid service change.

Background: Originating as a cluster of unexplained cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, a novel coronavirus disease, officially named as COVID-19 by WHO, has now reached a pandemic level. In the wake of this global health crisis, stringent public health measures were implemented to curtail the spread of COVID-19. At a local level, the University Hospitals of North Midlands National Health Service Trust suspended all elective and outpatient activity, primarily to address the current potential implications of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Can categorised values of maximal oxygen uptake discriminate patterns of exercise dysfunction in pectus excavatum: a prospective cohort study?

Unlabelled: Cohort studies of patients with pectus excavatum have inadequately characterised exercise dysfunction experienced. Cardiopulmonary exercise test data were delineated by maximal oxygen uptake values >80%, which was tested to examine whether patterns of exercise physiology were distinguished.

Methods: Seventy-two patients considered for surgical treatment underwent assessment of pulmonary function and exercise physiology with pulmonary function tests and cardiopulmonary exercise test between 2006 and 2019.

ARTP statement on pulmonary function testing 2020.

The Association for Respiratory Technology & Physiology (ARTP) last produced a statement on the performance of lung function testing in 1994. At that time the focus was on a practical statement for people working in lung function laboratories. Since that time there have been many technological advances and alterations to best practice in the measurement and interpretation of lung function assessments.

Efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure in casualties suffering from primary blast lung injury: A modeling study.

Primary blast lung injury is the most important component of a multisystem syndrome of injury that results from exposure to an explosive shockwave. The majority of such casualties require ventilation in an intensive care unit. We describe the use of a novel primary blast lung injury simulator to evaluate the potential efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure in 6 in silico casualties over 24 hours after injury.

Physiological predictors of Hypoxic Challenge Testing (HCT) outcomes in Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD).

Background: Pre-flight risk assessments are currently recommended for all Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) patients. Hypoxic challenge testing (HCT) can inform regarding the need for supplemental in-flight oxygen but variables which might predict the outcome of HCT and thus guide referral for assessment, are unknown.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of ILD patients attending for HCT at three tertiary care ILD referral centres was undertaken to investigate the concordance between HCT and existing predictive equations for prediction of in-flight hypoxia.

Respiratory morbidity, healthcare utilisation and cost of care at school age related to home oxygen status.

Unlabelled: The aim of the study was to determine whether respiratory morbidity, lung function, healthcare utilisation and cost of care at school age in prematurely born children who had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) were influenced by use of supplementary oxygen at home after neonatal intensive care unit discharge. Healthcare utilisation and cost of care in years 5 to 7 and respiratory morbidity (parent-completed respiratory questionnaire) and lung function measurements at least at age 8 years were assessed in 160 children. Their median gestational age was 27 (range 22-31) weeks and 65 of them had received supplementary oxygen when discharged home (home oxygen group).

RBx-0597, a potent, selective and slow-binding inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibiton is a well recognized approach to treat Type 2 diabetes. RBx-0597 is a novel DPP-IV inhibitor discovered in our laboratory. The aim of the present study was to characterize the pharmacological profiles of RBx-0597 in vitro and in vivo as an anti-diabetic agent.